1. Technical Field
The invention relates to sacrificial energy absorbing structures, i.e. crash padding, for use, for example, in vehicles for personal protection and to a method of making such structures. By sacrificial energy absorbing structures is meant structures that are permanently deformed in absorbing impact energy.
2. Background Art
It is known to provide panels consisting of or comprising a cellular matrix, e.g. a honeycomb-like cell structure. It is also known to arrange the cells of such matrices to have axes extending generally perpendicular to the plane of the panel or other article, with the cells being open-ended. Often such cellular matrices are used as a core in a panel and the open ends of the cells are closed by structural skins, e.g. of sheet material, applied to the opposite sides of the core.
It is further known to employ cellular structures, e.g. honeycomb structures made from aluminium foil or sheet for energy absorption, e.g. impact energy absorption. Such structures are efficient energy absorbers but have disadvantages when used in vehicles including high noise transmission characteristics, a propensity to rattle and difficulties in handling. Thus the sharp edges of such honeycomb panels may cause personal injury when making, transporting and installing such structures and the structures are also vulnerable to unintended damage at such times.
It is still further known to attempt to fill cellular matrix panels with a rigid foam material by pressing the foam and panel together such that the cell walls cut into the foam and the foam is forced into the cells. Such a foam filling method is thus necessarily restricted to rigid foams and in the resultant article there is no connection between the foam and cell structure beyond that provided by friction.
It is also known from JP-1-171935 of TOYOTA MOTOR CORP. to form a honeycomb sandwich structure in which a stock liquid of foamable resin is cast into a predetermined part of a honeycomb core and is then allowed to expand to fill the cells of the predetermined part of the core to form a sandwich structure of superior rigidity.
It is an object of the invention to provide a method of making a foam-filled cellular article e.g. for use as sacrificial crash padding.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an improved sacrificial energy absorbing structure.
From one aspect the invention is a method of making sacrificial energy absorbing structure, e.g. crash padding, comprising the steps of providing a deformable cellular matrix of the kind comprising a plurality of open-ended tubular cells, introducing a resilient foam-producing material into the cells of the matrix, allowing or causing the foam-producing material to foam to fill the cells, and allowing or causing the foam to cure or set to form a resilient foam.
The cellular matrix may be of a honeycomb structure. The cellular matrix may be of a lightweight metal such as aluminium or an aluminium alloy and the cell walls may be made of foil or thin sheet. The cells may be arranged with their central axes extending generally perpendicular to the plane of the sacrificial energy absorbing structure whereby energy absorption is achievable by axial deformation of the cells.
The foam-producing material may be solid, e.g. in the form of beads, or may be liquid. The foam-producing material may be of a nature such that it foams on contact with ambient air at room temperature or may be activated to foam e.g. by the application of heat energy, or may be chemically activated.
The foam-forming material may be introduced individually into the cells, e.g. using a series of injection nozzles or may be poured into the cells. Alternatively the matrix may be dipped into a bath of liquid foam-producing material to cause the liquid to coat the cell walls. The foam-producing material may be injected into the cells at one or more discrete locations spaced over the matrix.
Preferably the method further comprises arranging for the cells to be interconnected e.g. by providing communicating apertures intermediate their ends or by notching the ends of the cells and injecting the foam-producing material at one or more locations. In this way the foam-producing material can be easily dispersed through the cell structure without need for high injection pressures which may tend to damage the cell structure. The apertures may be created by machining a block of cell-forming material before it is expanded to form a honeycomb structure, the apertures being spaced to intersect each cell in the matrix. The apertures may be created by water jet drilling.
The method may comprise overlaying one or both sides of the matrix with a fibrous mat e.g. of polyester fibres such as that sold under the Registered Trade Mark xe2x80x98DACRONxe2x80x99, before injection of liquid foam-producing material into the cells, to form a skin over the ends of the cells consisting of the fibrous mat impregnated with the foam to mask the ends of the cells.
Preferably the nature of the foam material is such that it adheres to the cell walls to form a monolithic structure. Where the cells are interconnected, the foam is also mechanically locked into the cells. The foam is preferably of low density, e.g. in the range 60 to 100 kg/m3 and is preferably around 80 kg/m3.
The method may comprise arranging the cellular matrix in a closed mould before introducing the foam-forming material into the cells.
From another aspect the invention is a foam filled cellular article made by the method described above. In particular the article is a sacrificial energy absorbing structure comprising a honeycomb core of metal foil filled with a low density resilient foam which also forms a skin over the structure, which skin is reinforced with a mat of fine fibres.